Three 21-minute episodes found herein include "Here, Kitty, Kitty!" "Best In Show" and "Puppy Love". While you may think the world is divided evenly between cat and dog lovers, Barney clearly demonstrates that dog people outnumber cat people by two to one.

"Here Kitty, Kitty!" lets kids in on the trauma of having a lost pet cat. A nice lady bemoans her missing surly looking cat, singing about being both sad and mad, having the lost cat blues. It's probably pretty important to let kids know it's OK to be both sad and mad when you lose a cat. But when Barney appears, suggesting she check the local animal shelter, and she cries out, "I never thought of that!" you realize that you, as a parent, aren't meant to take much from this episode. All is well, however, as moments later our pre-teen heroes spot the cat walking on a wall a few feet away from them.

"Best In Show" brings things back to the true American pastime, dog ownership, and lording your dog's pedigree over others. What it amounts to is Barney emceeing a doggie parade with dogs and their owners parading very briefly through Barney's tiny park, dressed up in matching costumes with their dogs. Of particular note is Baby Bop's invisible puppy. Obviously your mind is shutting off at this point, but your four-year-old is bouncing on the couch and occasionally laughing like a maniac, so it's all good, right?

"Puppy Love" purportedly focuses on a love of puppies and other little furry canines. In truth, I was gazing, semi-comatose, at the baseboards in my family room by this point. So I'm not really sure what "Puppy Love" is actually about, but I'm sure it's edifying and amusing. The point is, Barney has clearly engineered a formula that is magic to kids. As my daughter ages, she's started to ask me if Barney is real - something that preps me for deeper discussions to come - but she is, for now, no less entertained by the purple one, as long as he's bringing the fun. For instance, a little how-to for paper bag pet puppets had her not only eager to try it, but also guffawing at the cat puppet with extra yarn fur. Also, Barney's numerous simple songs, which bluntly educate through simple, repetitive lyrics, can't but have some type of effect, even if it's an effect that might be better achieved someplace other than in front of a screen.

The DVD

Video:
Barney - Furry Friends comes in the same fullscreen, 1.33:1 ratio format in which these episode originally aired. While colors are bright, vibrant and natural, (at least where humans are concerned) the image is frequently plagued by noticeable aliasing, enough that DVD aficionados will be offended. Is your four-year-old a DVD aficionado? OK, so quit your bitching.

Sound:
Dolby Digital 2.0 Audio betrays no real defects. Dialog is loud and clear and mixed at an appropriate level with songs Barney sings. There isn't a whole lot going on as far as dynamic stereo separation goes, but neither is there anything to complain about.

Extras:
One simple extra, the "Furry Friends Hide and Seek" Game" will probably entertain your kids, though I am loathe to recommend such extras as a viable activity. Watch the DVD, then go out and talk to neighborhood cats instead. Also, Closed Captioning and Spanish Language Audio are included.

Final Thoughts:
Barney - Furry Friends is a slight DVD, if you're looking for maximum minutes for your DVD dollar. One hour of content, three Barney episodes total, brings back the old-school of kid's DVDs, when just slapping scanty content on a brand name DVD seemed to be enough. Nonetheless, these pet-centric episodes pack enough cute Barney goodness that your child will be entranced. It's not quite enough content for my tastes, but I suppose it's quality that counts, and Barney's thoughtful, caring attitude, plus the natural adorability of cats and dogs, makes this at least an enthusiastic Rent It for parents with Barney-loving kids.

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